When Chivas USA travel to XBOX Pitch at CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Sounders FC, on Sunday, July 28, at 7:00 p.m. (PT), not only will they have to worry about facing one of Major League Soccer’s rowdiest fans, but also playing in on artificial surface.

The Sounders’ pitch surface is called FieldTurf, one of the most popular brands of artificial turf for both football and soccer clubs throughout the world. This surface includes sand and ground rubber as the base of the artificial grass, providing a flexible playing surface for both football and soccer in all types of weather.

It’s the top quality of this turf that allows Chivas USA coaching staff not to worry about the change from a natural to a synthetic field. However, the Red-and-White will need to pay attention to some difficulties in the bouncing and speed of the ball.

“Seattle’s field is very similar to natural grass,” said Chivas Strength & Conditioning Coach Armando Camacho, who has visited the Sounders’ grounds on few occasions. “It’s a different type of surface but it’s very similar. We have to pay attention to the bouncing of the ball; it goes faster, as the field is smoother and even. Despite the field difference, it’s in Seattle, where I think it’s the closest you can get to natural grass.”

The differences won’t be an excuse for the Strength & Conditioning coach, who besides fully trusting his players’ aptitudes, counts with a handful of ideas to make sure the group is ready for Sunday’s challenge.

“The players have the ability to adapt particularly fast to the circumstances of the game. We are preparing the guys so they face no issue adjusting to the surface by doing exercises that involved perception and balance with their own body in the turf fields that we have in our facilities.”

Defender Mario de Luna is one of the most experienced Goats in turf, as the centerback played a large number of games at Estadio Omnilife in Guadalajara before arriving to Chivas USA.

“Playing in turf is a bit more difficult,” explained De Luna. “However, we will be able to prepare in our facilities here at the stadium and get used to playing the type of soccer we want.

“Tomorrow we are going to train in the turf fields so we can have sense of how the ball bounce and the direction it takes in passes on the ground so when Sunday comes we don’t have any issues,” concluded the Red-and-White defender.